Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother’s sons bow down to thee: cursed [be] every one that curseth thee, and blessed [be] he that blesseth thee.
29. Let peoples, &c.] The first half of this verse seems to refer to conquest over foreign foes; the second half to pre-eminence among the kindred races. The complete fulfilment of this prediction cannot have taken place before the times of David (cf. 2 Samuel 8) and Solomon. The “peoples” and “nations,” who “served” and “bowed down,” were the Canaanites; the “brethren” and the “mother’s sons” were the Edomites, Ammonites, Moabites, and Amalekites.
lord brethren ] These words recall the oracle given to Rebekah in Gen 25:23. The irony of the situation is that Isaac, predicting, as he supposes, Esau’s predominance over Jacob, seems to be reversing the decree, “the elder shall serve the younger.” In reality he ratifies and endorses it.
thy brethren ] The word is here poetically used in the sense of “kindred.” The blessing impersonates the nation in the individual. It prefigures kindred races in the individual’s brethren: see note on Gen 27:40. This blessing, as applied to Jacob, was fulfilled in the subjugation of Edom, Moab, and Ammon in the reign of David.
Cursed be every one ] For this formula concluding a blessing, cf. Gen 12:3, and Num 24:9. Words of good omen end the utterance.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 29. Let people serve thee] “However alike their temporal advantages were to each other,” says Bp. Newton, “in all spiritual gifts and graces the younger brother was to have the superiority, was to be the happy instrument of conveying the blessing to all nations: In thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed; and to this are to be referred, in their full force, those expressions: Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee. Cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee. The same promise was made to Abraham in the name of God: I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee, Ge 12:3; and it is here repeated to Jacob, and thus paraphrased in the Jerusalem Targum: ‘He who curseth thee shall be cursed as Balaam the son of Beor; and he who blesseth thee shall be blessed as Moses the prophet, the lawgiver of Israel.’ It appears that Jacob was, on the whole, a man of more religion, and believed the Divine promises more, than Esau. The posterity of Jacob likewise preserved the true religion, and the worship of one God, while the Edomites were sunk in idolatry; and of the seed of Jacob was born at last the Saviour of the world. This was the peculiar privilege and advantage of Jacob, to be the happy instrument of conveying these blessings to all nations. This was his greatest superiority over Esau; and in this sense St. Paul understood and applied the prophecy: The elder shall serve the younger, Ro 9:12. The Christ, the Saviour of the world, was to be born of some one family; and Jacob’s was preferred to Esau’s, out of the good pleasure of Almighty God, who is certainly the best judge of fitness and expedience, and has undoubted right to dispense his favours as he shall see proper; for he says to Moses, as the apostle proceeds to argue, Ro 9:15: ‘I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.’ And when the Gentiles were converted to Christianity, the prophecy was fulfilled literally: Let people serve thee, and let nations bow down to thee; and will be more amply fulfilled when the fulness of the Gentiles shall come in, and all Israel shall be saved.”
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Let thy mothers son bow down to thee. How and when this was fulfilled, see on Gen 25:23.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
29. Let people serve theefulfilledin the discomfiture of the hostile tribes that opposed the Israelitesin the wilderness; and in the pre-eminence and power they attainedafter their national establishment in the promised land. Thisblessing was not realized to Jacob, but to his descendants; and thetemporal blessings promised were but a shadow of those spiritualones, which formed the grand distinction of Jacob’s posterity.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee,…. Which was literally true in the times of Joshua and the judges, when the Canaanites were conquered and subdued, and those that remained became tributary to the Israelites; and still more so in the times of David, a son of Jacob, in the line of Judah, when the Philistines, Moabites, Syrians, Ammonites, and Edomites, became subject to him, his servants and tributaries; and yet more so in the times of the Messiah that was to spring from Jacob, and did, to whom many nations have been already subject, and all will in the latter day, Ps 72:11. And this passage is applied to the Messiah, and his times, by the Jews, in an ancient book y of theirs, at least said to be so. The Targum of Jonathan paraphrases it of the children of Esau or the Edomites, and of the children of Keturah; and that of Jerusalem, of the children of Esau, and of Ishmael:
be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother’s sons bow down to thee; these seem rather to be the children of Esau, Jacob’s brother, and his mother’s sons; the Targum of Jerusalem interprets the latter of the sons of Laban, his mother’s brother, the Arabians and Syrians; which will be more fully accomplished when the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ, Re 11:15; who will then appear to be King of kings, and Lord of lords, Re 17:14, even the King of the whole earth:
cursed [be] everyone that curseth thee; it signifies, that those who were the enemies of Jacob, or would be the enemies of the church and people of God, his spiritual Israel, and of the Messiah, would be reckoned the enemies of God, and treated as such;
and blessed [be] he that blesseth thee; and that those that were his friends, and the friends of the people of God, and heartily wish well to the interest of Christ, these should be accounted the friends of God, and be used as such. The same blessing is pronounced on Abraham the grandfather of Jacob, Ge 12:3.
y Zohar in Gen. fol. 84. 4.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
29. Cursed be every one that curseth thee. What I have before said must be remembered, namely, that these are not bare wishes, such as fathers are wont to utter on behalf of their children, but that promises of God are included in them; for Isaac is the authorized interpreter of God, and the instrument employed by the Holy Spirit; and therefore, as in the person of God, he efficaciously pronounces those accursed who shall oppose the welfare of his son. This then is the confirmation of the promise, by which God, when he receives the faithful under his protection, declares that he will be an enemy to their enemies. The whole force of the benediction turns to this point, that God will prove himself to be a kind father to his servant Jacob in all things, so that he will constitute him the chief and the head of a holy and elect people, will preserve and defend him by his power, and will secure his salvation in the face of enemies of every kind.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(29) Let people serve thee.Heb., peoples. Up to this point the blessing had been general, but now Isaac bestows the birthright, carrying with it widespread dominion, precedence over all other members of the family, and special blessedness. The phrases thy brethren and thy mothers sons include all nations sprung from Abraham, and all possible offshoots from Isaacs own descendants.
Cursed . . . and blessed.This is a special portion of the blessing given to Abraham (Gen. 12:3); but Isaac stops short with this, and does not bestow the greater privilege that in him should all families of the earth be blessed (Gen. 12:3; Gen. 22:18; Gen. 26:4). The reason for this may be that it was a blessing which God must grant, and not man; or he may have had misgivings that it was more than Esau was worthy to receive; or, finally, his whole conduct being wrong, he could see and value only the earthly and lower prerogatives of the birthright. Subsequently he bestows the Abrahamic blessing upon Jacob in general terms (Gen. 28:4); but this, its highest privilege, is confirmed to Jacob by Jehovah Himself (Gen. 28:14).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
29. People nations Peoples and tribes of peoples .
Be lord This was fulfilled in the days of David, when the Edomites were subjected to Israel. 2Sa 8:14.
Thy mother’s sons This expression seems to carry with it a sense of putting Jacob, his mother’s favourite son, (Gen 25:28,) in subjection to Esau .
Cursed blessed See Gen 12:3. “Isaac does not pronounce on Jacob that emphatic spiritual blessing which God himself had assured to Abraham twice (Gen 12:3; Gen 22:18) and to Isaac once, (Gen 36:4,) ‘In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed . ’ There was something carnal and sinful in the whole conduct of the persons concerned in the history of this chapter, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, Esau; and it may have been this which withheld for the time the brightest promise to the family of Abraham; or perhaps it may have been that that promise should come only from the mouth of God himself, as it is given afterwards in Gen 28:14. ” Speaker’s Commentary .
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Gen 27:29. Let people serve thee, &c. However alike their temporal advantages were to be, the younger brother was to have the superiority in all spiritual gifts, was to be the happy instrument of conveying the blessing to all nations: In thee and in thy Seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed: and to this are to be referred in their full force those expressions, let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee; cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee. The same promise was made to Abraham by the Lord, I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee, ch. Gen 12:3. and it is here repeated to Jacob, and is thus paraphrased in the Jerusalem Targum, “He who curseth thee shall be cursed, as Balaam the son of Beor; and he who blesseth thee shall be blessed, as Moses the prophet, the lawgiver of Israel.” It appears that Jacob was a man of much more religion, and believed the divine promises more than Esau. The posterity of Jacob likewise preserved the true religion, and the worship of the one true God, while the Edomites were sunk in idolatry. And of the seed of Jacob was born at last the Saviour of the world. This was the peculiar privilege and advantage of Jacob, to be the happy instrument of conveying these spiritual blessings to all nations. This was his greatest superiority over Esau; and in this sense St. Paul understands and applies the prophecy, the elder shall serve the younger, Rom 9:12. The Christ, the Saviour of the world, was to be born of some one family: and Jacob’s was preferred to Esau’s out of the good pleasure of Almighty God, who is certainly the best Judge of fitness and expedience, and hath undoubted right to dispense his favours as he shall see proper; for he saith to Moses, (as the apostle proceeds to argue, Rom 9:15.) I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. And when the Gentiles were converted to Christianity, the prophecy was fulfilled literally, Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee; and will more amply be fulfilled, when the fulness of the Gentiles shall come in, and all Israel shall be saved.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
It is probable that by this time, Isaac had learnt that the thing was of God. He now speaks positively that the blessing is sure.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Gen 27:29 Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother’s sons bow down to thee: cursed [be] every one that curseth thee, and blessed [be] he that blesseth thee.
Ver. 29. Let thy mother’s sons bow down to thee.] That is, thy brethren; which are therefore denominated from the mother, quod certior est a matre progenies, quam a patre, saith an interpreter. a But this blessing is pronounced in a higher style than ordinary: therefore sentences are doubled, and that kind of speech is here used which, with us, is either poetical, or not far from it.
a Castalio in Annotat., ad locum.
people. Hebrew peoples.
cursed
See, Gen 12:3; Gen 15:18, See note 3,(5), (See Scofield “Gen 15:18”).
Let people: Gen 9:25, Gen 9:26, Gen 22:17, Gen 22:18, Gen 49:8-10, 2Sa 8:1-18, 2Sa 10:1-19, 1Ki 4:21, Psa 2:6-9, Psa 72:8, Isa 9:7, Dan 2:44, Dan 2:45, Rev 19:16
be lord: Gen 27:37, Gen 25:22, Gen 25:23, Gen 25:33, 2Sa 8:14, 1Ki 11:15, 1Ki 11:16, 1Ki 22:47, 1Ch 5:2, 2Ch 25:11-14, Psa 60:1-12, *title Psa 60:2-12, Isa 63:1-6, Mal 1:2-5, Rom 9:12
cursed: Gen 12:3, Num 22:11, Num 22:12, Num 23:8, Num 24:9, Zep 2:8, Zep 2:9, Mat 25:40, Mat 25:45
Reciprocal: Gen 12:2 – General Gen 32:4 – my lord Gen 32:29 – blessed Gen 37:10 – Shall I Gen 42:10 – General Gen 43:26 – bowed Gen 48:9 – bless them Gen 50:18 – fell Num 22:6 – curse me Num 24:18 – General Deu 33:13 – the dew 1Sa 17:43 – cursed 1Ch 18:13 – all the Edomites Eze 25:14 – by the hand Amo 9:12 – Edom
Gen 27:29. Let nations bow down to thee When the Canaanites were subdued in the times of Joshua and the judges, and made tributary to the Israelites; and more especially when the Philistines, Moabites, Ammonites, and Edomites became subject to them, in the time of David, this prophecy was fulfilled; but, like many other prophecies, it shall receive its principal accomplishment in the latter days of the Messiahs kingdom, when he shall have dominion from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth; when all kings shall fall down before him, and all nations serve him, Psa 72:8; Psa 72:11.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments